Should exercise be pain-free?

Should you exercise until pain or before pain happens? Should physiotherapy hurt?

This is a common question asked by many patients.

When you exercise, should you exercise in a pain-free state or should the exercise be slightly painful? or extremely painful? We often tell our patients to exercise enough within pain tolerance. Some patients call their physiotherapist torture therapist. We pay to get hurt!

 No pain no game right?

So... is this evidence-based or not?

 Turns out, based on 9081 studies reviewed by Benjamin et al. protocols using painful exercises due in fact offer a small but significant benefit over pain-free exercises. We do not know whether pain should surpass 2/10 or more on the VAS scale. However, our rule is to exercise enough so that the exercise seems to matter. If you feel nothing, then it is unlikely to do something. If you feel too much. Then you cause a flare which puts you back a few days.

Bottom line: Some pain, some gain! Physiotherapy can hurt, but not too much!

  Physio Summum Brossard